Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Paradise Lost Review

This week on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. we got two backstories that nobody asked for in“Paradise Lost.” We were shown what happened in Malick’s past that made him into the grumpy man he is and we got a look at what Lincoln was like before he got his powers. Both stories were just as boring as they sound.

The episode opened with Malick as a teenager at his father’s funeral with his brother. They were talking about Hydra and who would take their father’s place as the “traveler.” The flashback weaved in and out of the episode, but it just didn’t capture my attention at all. All we needed to know was that Malick betrayed his brother, which caused his brother to be taken over by Hive. I don’t think that revelation was worth the time and effort they spent on these flashbacks. I would have rather seen a flashback for almost any other character.

Back with the S.H.I.E.L.D. team, they were still trying to cope with the fact that Ward is back, or at least his physical form is. They broke into a Hydra facility to learn more. They were able to capture Mr. Giyera, the Inhuman that can move objects with his mind, and Simmons was able to collect some data. She determined that Hive is a parasite that is controlling Ward’s body, and it just so happens to hold all the memories of all the bodies it has taken over. Its weapon is also like an extreme version a flesh eating virus, which explains the skeleton aftermath. These were all terrifying, but helpful, revelations. It seemed like we’ve been waiting forever for some answers.

Lincoln and Daisy were also on their own mission, which was another confusing one. Apparently Lincoln knew a guy who used to live with him and the Inhumans, even though he had no powers. This guy often spoke of an ancient Inhuman that would be resurrected. Lincoln thought he might have some information on Hive so he took Daisy to find him. It turned out the guy was a little bit more threatening than Lincoln led on. He almost killed Daisy, but luckily she had her powers to escape. They decided to make a deal. Lincoln would give this guy, James, a piece of the crystal that would turn him Inhuman and James would give him the artifact he had. Lincoln of course lied, and got the artifact with his powers and left, but not before James could give Daisy an ominous warning about Lincoln.

It turned out Lincoln almost killed his last girlfriend in a drunk driving accident, which was when he was saved by Gordon and brought in to hone his skills. Lincoln and Daisy then shared a sweet moment where they promised to be more truthful with each other. It was just as cringe-worthy as it sounds. I am just not buying this relationship at all. Everything that happens to them is cliche and overdone. The only good thing that came from it was when Daisy revealed that she saw someone from the team dying in her vision from last episode.

Right after she said that, the episode cut back to the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team as Mr. Giyera was breaking out of his cell. He easily fought his way to the cockpit and took control of the plane. The episode ended with him piloting the plane, with the rest of the team on board and on their way to Hive. May was able to send one last message to Daisy to before she was knocked unconscious. It looks like Daisy’s Secret Warriors might have their first mission next episode.
To really finish things off right, we got to see that Hive wanted to really punish Malick for betraying his brother, aka Hive, sort of? So, he killed Malick’s daughter, Stephanie, so Malick would finally learn what sacrifice really meant. That was a real bummer scene. I was excited about Stephanie as a character, but just as quickly as she came in, she was gone.

Overall this episode was a real sleeper. It was an example of a show suffering from having too many episodes in a single season. Malick’s backstory was unnecessary, as was that side mission with Lincoln. I am excited that Daisy will get to use her Secret Warriors, but I also feel like maybe she should have put some training program in place for them. We will see how they do on their first mission next week.